FEAR NOT AND SHINE!
May 22, 2005 | 12:00am
As a child, I feared the dark. I also feared the roar of thunder and the flash of lightning. My mother explained to me that there was nothing to be afraid of in the dark, and that all I had to do was turn on the light.
With my mom’s guidance, I began to realize that what I actually feared were just the ghosts I had imagined in my mind. As for the thunder, my mom used to say that God and his friends in heaven were bowling, and the bursts of lightning were just flashbulbs popping while photos were being taken. Her explanation delighted and pacified my young mind tremendously.
As I grew up, I found out that even grown men have fears. It is said that one of the biggest fears of people is that of speaking in public, second only to the fear of death. Understandably, death is the biggest fear because it is the final "great unknown." What people are most afraid of are things or events that are unfamiliar and unknown – those that make them conjure frightful images and dreadful horrors in their overactive minds.
Several generations ago, during one of the most turbulent desert wars in the Middle East, a spy was captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army. The general, a man of intelligence and compassion, had adopted a strange and unusual custom in such areas. He permitted the condemned person to make a choice. The prisoner could either face the firing squad or pass through the Black Door.
As the moment of the execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him for a short, final interview. The primary purpose of this was to receive the answer of the doomed man to the query: "What shall it be , the firing squad or the Black Door?"
This was not an easy decision and the prisoner hesitated, but soon made it known that he much preferred the firing squad to the unknown horrors that might await him behind the ominous and mysterious door. Not long after, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced that the grim sentence had been fulfilled.
The general, staring at his boots, turned to his aide and said, "You see how it is with men: they always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is a characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet I gave him his choice."
"What lies beyond the Black Door?" asked the aide.
"Freedom," replied the general, "and I’ve known only a few men brave enough to take it." – Anonymous (forwarded by Rory S. Viray)
This story depicts the predicament many people face each day – making a choice between the known and the unknown. Few of us have the courage to face our fears or take risks. Most of us lack the guts to stop living in the way we’ve been conditioned and brainwashed to. Fear stops us from opening doors to a brighter, better life.
It is the perpetual dread of fear, the fear of fear, that shapes the face of a brave man. – Georges Bernanos, French novelist, political writer
Facing our fears can make us brave and strong. Not having the courage to conquer our fears makes cowards and losers of us all. The only thing to fear is actually fear itself.
There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it. – Alfred Hitchcock, Anglo-American filmmaker
I used to be so scared of a doctor’s hypodermic syringe (I still am!) but much of my fear was from anticipating the pain of the injection. Once the needle is in my arm, it isn’t quite as bad. It is really the anticipation that amplifies the fear.
Man’s loneliness is but his fear of life. – Eugene O’Neill, American dramatist
People who fear opening up to other people end up alone and lonely. It is important to conquer our fear of life (and living) in order to be surrounded by many caring friends and lovers. If you are lonely, it’s your fault.
Cowardice, as distinguished from panic, is almost always simply a lack of ability to suspend the functioning of the imagination. – Ernest Hemingway, US author
Most of our fears are imagined; they are products of an overactive imagination. They come in the form of worry, anxiety, care, apprehension, phobia, paranoia, etc. Going to the beach won’t be fun if during the drive you worry about getting a flat tire. The same is true with life.
But it is a world of fear. We fear wrinkles, old age, truth, violence. We fear the unknown, losing the ones we love, change, loneliness, our sexuality (some of us never relax enough to accept it; most men have performance anxiety), we fear poverty, we fear death. We even fear the success of our friends.
We fear too much to our own detriment. Fear defeats us even before we try. Fear inhibits us from living the courageous, daring life. We must realize that we have the power to change fear into something positive and useful. We can do it, as long as we know that the antidotes to fear are courage, faith, hope, a purpose, and most especially, love.
Most of us play "small" in life. We are afraid to be big and great and luminous. This is a common fear that has to be vanquished if we are to live a life that’s full and extraordinary. We must risk losing our comfort zone and "smallness" if we are to be the biggest and best that we can be.
The following is the most empowering quotation I have ever read on not fearing our brilliance and letting go of mediocrity. It exhorts us not to be afraid of our light, our power, and all the greatness that we can have and share:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
"We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?’
"Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
"We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
"As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." – Nelson Mandela, South African president, anti-apartheid champion and freedom fighter.
It’s time to let go of your fears, and let your glorious light shine on the world!
I’d love to hear from you! E-mail DeroSeminar@yahoo.com or text 0920-4053233.
With my mom’s guidance, I began to realize that what I actually feared were just the ghosts I had imagined in my mind. As for the thunder, my mom used to say that God and his friends in heaven were bowling, and the bursts of lightning were just flashbulbs popping while photos were being taken. Her explanation delighted and pacified my young mind tremendously.
As I grew up, I found out that even grown men have fears. It is said that one of the biggest fears of people is that of speaking in public, second only to the fear of death. Understandably, death is the biggest fear because it is the final "great unknown." What people are most afraid of are things or events that are unfamiliar and unknown – those that make them conjure frightful images and dreadful horrors in their overactive minds.
As the moment of the execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him for a short, final interview. The primary purpose of this was to receive the answer of the doomed man to the query: "What shall it be , the firing squad or the Black Door?"
This was not an easy decision and the prisoner hesitated, but soon made it known that he much preferred the firing squad to the unknown horrors that might await him behind the ominous and mysterious door. Not long after, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced that the grim sentence had been fulfilled.
The general, staring at his boots, turned to his aide and said, "You see how it is with men: they always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is a characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet I gave him his choice."
"What lies beyond the Black Door?" asked the aide.
"Freedom," replied the general, "and I’ve known only a few men brave enough to take it." – Anonymous (forwarded by Rory S. Viray)
This story depicts the predicament many people face each day – making a choice between the known and the unknown. Few of us have the courage to face our fears or take risks. Most of us lack the guts to stop living in the way we’ve been conditioned and brainwashed to. Fear stops us from opening doors to a brighter, better life.
Facing our fears can make us brave and strong. Not having the courage to conquer our fears makes cowards and losers of us all. The only thing to fear is actually fear itself.
There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it. – Alfred Hitchcock, Anglo-American filmmaker
I used to be so scared of a doctor’s hypodermic syringe (I still am!) but much of my fear was from anticipating the pain of the injection. Once the needle is in my arm, it isn’t quite as bad. It is really the anticipation that amplifies the fear.
Man’s loneliness is but his fear of life. – Eugene O’Neill, American dramatist
People who fear opening up to other people end up alone and lonely. It is important to conquer our fear of life (and living) in order to be surrounded by many caring friends and lovers. If you are lonely, it’s your fault.
Cowardice, as distinguished from panic, is almost always simply a lack of ability to suspend the functioning of the imagination. – Ernest Hemingway, US author
Most of our fears are imagined; they are products of an overactive imagination. They come in the form of worry, anxiety, care, apprehension, phobia, paranoia, etc. Going to the beach won’t be fun if during the drive you worry about getting a flat tire. The same is true with life.
We fear too much to our own detriment. Fear defeats us even before we try. Fear inhibits us from living the courageous, daring life. We must realize that we have the power to change fear into something positive and useful. We can do it, as long as we know that the antidotes to fear are courage, faith, hope, a purpose, and most especially, love.
The following is the most empowering quotation I have ever read on not fearing our brilliance and letting go of mediocrity. It exhorts us not to be afraid of our light, our power, and all the greatness that we can have and share:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
"We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?’
"Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
"We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
"As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." – Nelson Mandela, South African president, anti-apartheid champion and freedom fighter.
It’s time to let go of your fears, and let your glorious light shine on the world!
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